A Heartbreaking New Harry Potter Theory Reveals Which Death Eater Killed Hedwig

You'll cry all over again.

The Harry Potter books are an epic tale of the war of good versus evil in the Wizarding world — and you know that doesn't come without some casualties. Were you a Potterhead who cried when Dobby the house elf died? Were you unspeakably angry when — spoiler alert — Snape killed Dumbledore...only to be utterly confused by the realization that Dumbledore knew what was going to happen all along? From a Weasley to Tonks and Lupin, there's no ending to tragedy and loss in the books, which makes the victory against Voldemort ultimately bittersweet.

But few deaths were like that of Hedwig, the snowy owl that Hagrid bought Harry as an 11th birthday present and stuck by her master's side throughout the series. She was struck down by a killing curse when Harry and his friends — who were all disguised as Harrys thanks to the polyjuice potion — tried to leave Privet Drive at night, only to be tailed by a group of masked Death Eaters. (Author J.K. Rowling has also said that Hedwig's death represents the ultimate loss of Harry's innocence.) But which Death Eater would be so heartless as to kill an owl?

Well, one fan's theory sheds light on that...and in fact, it might not have been such a heartless act after all. Tumblr user JoMarieWalker posted a new theory that completely changes the tragic moment, and it actually fits with the selfless way Hedwig loved Harry.

Sooo the death eater that kills Hedwig is actually Snape, and he
killed Hedwig so the other death eaters and voldemort wouldn’t know it
was harry anD HE WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO PROTECT HARRY THE WHOLE TIME
OMG

It makes sense, especially if you think about how distinctive Hedwig is, and how other characters have often pointed that out to Harry. Sirius Black even warned his godson to use other owls when sending mail because one snowy owl would be easier to pinpoint than a bunch of random brown owls. And while it doesn't make her death any less depressing, it's still mind-blowing to realize how intricate the books really are, and how far Snape would go to keep Harry alive.